Sorceress
by Undead Dungeon Master
Summary: Ancient Magics, Part 3: When Richard, Zedd and Kahlan seek out the Tower of Sinthra to recover a magical astrolabe, they find themselves pawns in the machinations of a long dead sorceress.
1. Prologue

_Author's Note: _This is the third story in a four part series called "Ancient Magics." If you have not read the preceding entries in the story, "Hatred" and "Bedfellows," some of the characters in this story will be unfamiliar. A small guide to the original characters I've introduced can be found on my profile. Each part of "Ancient Magics" may be read independently. While reading the previous stories will enhance your appreciation of this story, it is not necessary to read them to enjoy this story.

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

A light snow had fallen across the city of Gyrfalcon, giving the city an ethereal glow in the pale blues of twilight. Kahlan stood before the leaded glass windows of Anclara's office; a warm mug of tea cooling in her hands as she watched the city's workers busy themselves lighting the gaslights that illuminated the streets every night.

Behind her Zedd and Anclara sat before the office's fireplace, their conversation as warm and pleasant as the fire within. Kahlan had tried to involve herself in their discussion – she herself was certainly a topic of conversation – but Zedd and Anclara had so much history between them that much of their back and forth went over her head.

It didn't help that her thoughts were preoccupied with worries about Richard. He was several days delayed, and she prayed he had only been sidetracked by the sort of heroics that Richard always seemed to stumble into, and not something worse. She pushed the thoughts from her head before they could turn darker. It would do her no good to allow her anxiety to escalate to real fear, so instead she sipped at her tea and watched the city.

There was a sharp knock at the door and Kahlan turned, startled out of her reverie. Anclara called out permission to enter and the door swung open, revealing Gyrfalcon Hall's major domo Derwin and a second man. He was threadbare and ragged, with fresh bruises and scuffs. He was a few years older than Richard, with a long drawn out face framed by dirty brown hair. His head hung low and he held his cap in his hand.

"Mistress Anclara, I apologize for the interruption," Derwin began, "but this man just arrived at the Hall with urgent news for the Mother Confessor."

Zedd turned in his seat and glanced at the door. His eyes went wide as he recognized the man. "Sebastian!"

"Master Wizard," the man responded with a nod. His eyes went immediately to Kahlan, and the look in them told her that he bore bad news. "Mother Confessor, it's the Seeker. He's dying!"


	2. Chapter One

**CHAPTER ONE**

"Mother Confessor, it's the Seeker!" Sebastian stood in the door of Anclara's office, hat held in hand, eyes down cast. "He's dying!"

"Richard?" Kahlan's voice cracked as she took a step forward, her hand moving unconsciously to her heart. "Oh no, what's happened?"

"He's been wounded mistress, terribly so. We just arrived tonight, having come from Lake Cordacan. I'm afraid the Rourazar was released, and Richard battled the monster."

"The Rourazar?" Zedd stood as the color drained from his face. "That beast has not been seen in a thousand years."

"Aye, it was held in a keplat all this time. The Seeker and I entered to find the key to his map, and in doing so unwittingly released the beast. He was victorious, but quite badly burned in the battle. I treated his wounds as best as I could, and brought him to Gyrfalcon as fast as possible, but I'm afraid infection has set into his wounds and he is not long for this world. He's resting at a nearby inn, floating in and out of consciousness."

Kahlan cast a glance at Zedd, who seemed as shocked as she felt, then rushed to the door. "Take me to him. Now!"

"Wait, Kahlan," Zedd interrupted. He turned to face Anclara, and Kahlan realized she bore the same stricken expression as Zedd. "Anclara, if Richard is as badly wounded as Sebastian says, my magic may not be enough to heal him."

"What can I do Zedd? I'm a historian, not a healer."

"Yes," he agreed, casting a glance at the shelves of her office. "A historian who has in her collection the Gauntlet of Adrionne."

Anclara's eyes went wide. "But Zedd, its powers are only known through legend and rumor. If Kahlan uses it on Richard and the rumors are wrong, she could confess him. All would be lost."

"If Richard dies then all his lost!"

"Zedd, what are you talking about? What is the Guantlet of Adrionne." Zedd pointed to a fine silver filigree glove on Anclara's shelf. Kahlan had seen the glove before, marvelled at the intricate work of the chains, but she had never heard of it before. "What does it do?"

Zedd looked to Anclara. She hesitated, then explained: "No one is certain. It was created for Adrionne, the first of the Mother Confessors; she who organized the earliest confessors and established the customs of justice in the Midlands. She was known as the Queen Confessor, glorified for both her power and her wisdom. The legends attribute many powers to the Gauntlet. Some say that when wearing the Gauntlet no amount of armor could protect a man from the Queen Confessors touch. Others say that it could transform the power of a Confessor into a healing touch that would cure all wounds, even bring a man back from the edge of death."

"Then you must give it to me!" Kahlan implored the older woman. "If it can heal Richard then we have to try!"

Anclara opened her mouth but no words came out. She glanced at Zedd, but he had no arguments. The look in his eyes told her that he agreed with Kahlan. "It's a very powerful artifact Kahlan. In the wrong hands, it could be very dangerous. With your powers malfunctioning, even more so. I don't know that..."

"Anclara, Zedd already told you: my powers are fine, the Shota told me this. It is the necromancer Melchior, he caused Damark to turn against me."

Anclara, clearly flustered, fumbled for a response. Kahlan had no time nor patience, and simply walked over to the shelf where the Gauntlet rested and picked it up. Anclara bit her lip, an anxious expression on her face, but did not protest.

"Alright Sebastian, take me to Richard."

After a short jog through the city's snow slicked cobblestone streets, Sebastian lead Kahlan and Zedd to a small inn. They followed him up the stairs to the upper rooms, and when he opened the door Kahlan pushed past him, rushing to the side of the room's single bed. Richard lay there unconscious, stripped down to his breeches alone. His arms, chest and face were an angry red mess of blisters and burns. Sebastian was right, infection had set in and many of his wounds were marked by ivory white pustules. Kahlan's heart sank in her chest, and tears streamed down her face as she knelt next to him.

She grabbed a washcloth that lay in a metal bowl of water next to his bed and dabbed at his face. Most of his hair had burned off. She starred down at his once beautiful face and the tears began to flow faster.

"Oh Richard," she moaned. "What's happened to you?"

Richard let out a small groan and shifted in the bed, but did not awaken.

"There there Kahlan," Zedd offered weakly as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "All is not lost. Use the Gauntlet."

"How? How do I use it?"

"Place it over your hand and then touch Richard, allow your power to flow through the glove into him."

"But what if it doesn't work?" Kahlan felt anxiety clutching her heart in her chest, twisting her stomach into a knot. "What if I confesses him?"

"Then he'll be confessed. Don't lose heart now girl. He'll die if we don't do something to save him, and soon too at the rate the infection grows."

Kahlan reached down to her belt and pulled the glove out, sliding it over her hand as Zedd backed off, retreating to close the door. It fit her perfectly, and as she put it on she felt something come over her. A comforting warmth and a fresh sense of confidence. Steeling herself she reached out and placed her hand on Richard's bare chest and let her power flow through the glove, trying to imagine Richard's wounds healing themselves.

Her eyes turned white and the power crackled within her in a way that was at once quite unfamilliar and throughly exciting. Richard's body began to glow with white light. It was faint at first but quickly became blinding, illuminating even the street beyond the small room's windows. Kahlan realized that she was glowing as well, and her hair seemed to rise up as if lifted by an invisible force.

Kahlan felt her mind exploding with power, more power than she had ever imagined was within her. It seemed to fill her whole being and flow effortlessly out from her without depleting in the slightest. Unlike her regular use of the power, she did not feel herself being drained and empty, but rather the opposite. She felt more invigorated, more alive than ever before.

Suddenly the light flared, forcing Zedd and Sebastian to turn away. Loose papers flew about the room and the windows and door burst open as if moved by an invisible hand. Then, with a flash, it was over. The power that flowed through her, power that had seemed to come from outside her, dissipated and left her feeling weary and ready to sleep.

She looked down at him; his wounds were gone, entirely gone without the slightest sign that they'd ever existed. His face was beautiful, his hair thick and full, his skin perfect and flawless. Even the small scar on his shoulder, a memento of a childhood fight with his brother that had gone too far, was gone. He had been restored completely. His eyes fluttered open as she stroked his hair. He smiled as he saw her brilliant blue eyes looking down at him and she smiled back.

"Hey Kahlan."

"Hey yourself."

"Are you crying?"

"I thought I'd lost you. We thought you were dead."

"Sorry about that." Richard closed his eyes. While healed, the experience had seemed to have left him exhausted. "Won't happen again."

Kahlan laughed gently, and shot a glance at Zedd and Sebastian. Zedd was smiling warmly, and Sebastian eyes were wide with amazement. The wizard put his arm around the mapmaker's shoulders and turned him away. "Let's let Richard rest."

She turned back to Richard as the door closed behind. He had drifted off, so she climbed onto the bed and curled up against him, resting her head on his chest. As she listened to the soft beat of his heart, she too drifted off into sleep.

***

Kahlan found herself standing in the center of a ring of tall pillars carved from white stone. Each pillar was capped by a broad crosspiece, and together these crosspieces formed a stone ring some fifteen feet in the air. Fog curled around her feet and clouded the air, and beyond the pillars she could see only a white expanse. The whole place seemed to be illuminated with pale yellow and orange lights, the colors of a sunset.

Common sense told her that she was dreaming, but the experience seemed frightfully real. She pinched her arm and yelped, suddenly unsure whether she dreamed or had been transported surreptitiously. How or by whom she did not know. She turned around slowly. She seemed to be alone.

"Hello? Is there anyone here?"

"Hello Kahlan."

Kahlan spun about to find the voice, which came from behind her. A woman stood between two of the pillars. She wore a long, white hooded dress. Under the hood she wore a veil of muslin gauze, and on her hand she wore a glove of silver filigree. The Gauntlet of Adrionne.

"Who are you? Where is this place?"

"Come now Kahlan, you're smarter than that. You know who I am. As for this place, this is a place beyond the gates of sleep, accessible only through dreams. I have lived here in this place for a thousand years and more, waiting for one such as you to find me."

"But why am I here?"

"When you used my Gauntlet, our minds were connected, even though I had long ago departed your world. It was only when you slept that I could bring you here, to the land of dreams. This place lies between waking life and the sleep of death."

"Adrionne!" Kahlan gasped, suddenly realizing who the woman was.

"Indeed." The woman drew back her hood and lifted her veil, revealing a beautiful middle aged woman with long, dark brown hair, high cheekbones, and eyes as green as the purest emeralds. "It gladdens my heart that you know of me."

"You're the first of the confessors, the first with our gift."

"Not the first with our gift, not by far. Only the first to see the potential in our gifts, to see how they could be used to find the truth and establish justice, the first to call herself _Confessor_. This is why I've come to see you Kahlan. I need your help."

"My help?"

"Just as I am the first of the confessors, you are the last. Our gift will never disappear from this land, but our tradition may. Crushed under the heel of Darken Rahl. I need you to help me Kahlan, help me rebuild the sisterhood of confessors, bring justice back to this land."

"Of course! Anything I can do to help. Soon Richard and I will have defeated Darken Rahl, and then I can dedicate myself to reestablishing the Confessors as the rightful power of the Midlands. I would be honored to accept any help you can offer."

"Yes, the Seeker." Adrionne smiled weakly, but her eyes narrowed. "This was never my intention, not when I founded our sisterhood, that we would become so reliant on the Seeker, on the power of a single man. We are not servants of the fated ones Kahlan, they serve _us_. You have become too enamoured of this latest Seeker, you place his mission ahead of what your true goal should be. I'm afraid that your association with him must come to an end. For the moment it is too vital that the power of the Confessors be reestablished."

"Wait, I don't understand. You want me to leave Richard? But why?"

"You must raise an army, and free the Midlands. Then we shall march on D'hara and put a final end to the Rahls. The Seeker will only resist you in this."

"What? Raise an army? But how?"

"You are a Confessors Kahlan, all whom you touch will follow your command. We will confess every able bodied man and woman in the midlands, until we have an army whose loyalty is greater than even that of the D'harans. The Rahls rule through fear, they will be powerless before us. We rule through love, and love conquers all."

"That's madness!" Kahlan cried as her eyes went wide. "We can't do that! Even if we succeeded, you're talking about stripping tens of thousands of men and women of their free will! I'm sorry Adrionne, I can't help you. My place is with Richard, protecting him and aiding him. He will kill Darken Rahl, and _then_ I will rebuild the Confessors _with_ Richard's help. But not before then, and not the way you suggest."

Adrionne's eyes flashed with anger as she stepped towards Kahlan, her hands balling into fists at her side. "He will kill Darken Rahl and seize the throne of D'hara for himself! You will end up nothing more but his priestess and companion, and the rule of the Confessors will have ended. I will **not** allow you to throw away that which I gave my whole life to create! The confessors will never become lapdogs of the Rahls!"

"I don't see how you have any choice Adrionne." Kahlan's spoke quietly, but with great strength. "You have long past from this world, and when I wake I will remove your gauntlet – until such time as I believe I am ready to contact you again."

"You foolish little girl," Adrionne sneered and Kahlan felt suddenly anxious. Adrionne advanced on her. "Do you really think I will take no for answer? If you will not help me by choice, then you will help me by force."

Kahlan stepped back as Adrionne rushed her, throwing up her hands to defend herself. Adrionne simply grabbed her wrist as her eyes turned white. Kahlan's eyes went wide with terror as she felt the ancient confessors power flow into her.

"Let go," she screamed. "What are you doing! You can't confess me! A confessor's powers are a useless on another confessor!"

"Oh no," Adrionne smiled. "my dear Kahlan. I am far more than just a confessor. The gifts I was born with made me powerful, but it was the sorcery I learned that made me the Queen Confessor." Kahlan screamed as Adrionne's power suddenly turned from a calm soothing energy washing through her to a bright blinding pain. "I think you will find my power is not so limited as yours."

Kahlan tried to resist, but the ancient confessor's power battered her soul like a storm, and she felt her knees grow weak beneath her. She fell to her knees as her eyes turned white. Adrionne's other hand reached out and closed around her neck. Adrionne was laughing now, a high lilting laugh tinged with manic glee.

"How do you think I did it Kahlan? How do you think I forged a group of witches into the most powerful force in the Midlands? Did you think I asked nicely and they all went along willingly?"

Kahlan's eyes sprung open and she was again lying in Richard's bed, her head resting on his chest. Adrionne's laughter still ringing in her ears.

"Command me, my Queen," she whispered.


	3. Chapter Two

**CHAPTER TWO**

Richard was awoken gently as the light of the early morning sun streamed through the inn's window and crept across the floor. It reached slowly across the bed, gradually warming his legs. He shifted and was surprised to feel Kahlan's head nuzzled into the crook of his shoulder, her cheek pressed against his chest. He kissed her gently on the forehead and she murmured.

He slid out of the bed and put his feet on the floor, his head fuzzy and light. The last few days seemed a blur. He knew he had been burned in his battle, and that the long trip to Gyrfalcon had been brutally painful, but he could not recall the pain at all. It was as if the healing had been so complete that even the traumatic memories of the burns was gone.

Kahlan reached out across the empty bed, one eye slowly opening as she realized she was alone. She stared up at Richard.

He smiled as he buttoned up his shirt. "Hey there."

She moaned softly. "It's too early. Let's sleep in."

"We've got a lot to do." He poked his finger through a blackened hole in his shirt. "I need a new shirt to begin with, then we'll need provisions. We've got a long trip ahead of us, south past Brennidon. I hope that Zedd can scrounge up some horses, it'll be a long ways to walk."

Kahlan opened both eyes and propped herself up on her elbows, considering Richard carefully. "Actually Richard, we need to talk about that."

"What's to talk about? That's where the map says Sinthra's tower is, so that's where we have to go." He chuckled to himself, adding: "I'd hate to think I got torched by the Rourazar for nothing."

She rose to her feet, straightening her long white gown, and considered him seriously. "That's where you have to go, you mean."

Richard stopped, the smile fading from his face. "What are you talking about Kahlan? I meant we, as in you, me, and Zedd. But mostly I meant you and I. The last two weeks..."

"I've missed you too Richard, and I'm glad our paths crossed again, but --"

"Crossed again? I don't like – what are you talking about Kahlan? It sounds like you're leaving No, it sounds like you've _already left_."

"Yes, I'm leaving Richard. While we were separated I came to a realization. When we began this quest, I was your Confessor. But now I am the _last_ Confessor. When I was one of many, it was acceptable for me to devote all of my time and energy to _your_ quest. But now, now I have to devote my time and energy to rebuilding the sisterhood of the Confessors. That's where my duty lies now."

Richard was dumbfounded. His mouth moved, opening and closing, but no sounds came forth. Finally he sputtered: "Kahlan, I _need_ you. I can't do this without you."

"Nonsense Richard. You'll be fine. You've just defeated the Rourazar, one of the great terrors of the ancient age. _By yourself_. You don't need me. And besides, you'll still have Zedd. Together you'll find Sinthra's astrolabe, track down Darken Rahl, and fulfill your destiny. All I'm doing by traveling with you is avoiding my duties, and breaking your heart."

"Breaking my heart? Breaking my heart! What do you think you're doing now Kahlan?" Richard stepped towards Kahlan, reaching out to take her in his embrace. She held up her arms to ward him off and he ended up clutching her sleeve as he pleaded with her: "What am I supposed to say to all this? I can't, you can't go Kahlan. I love you. I need you. I can't do this without you at my side. I don't want to do this if you aren't going to be there with me."

"Love me?" She wrenched her arm free from his grasp, and fixed him with her steeliest gaze. "You can't love me Richard. I can't ever be there for you the way you need me to be, and the sooner we both accept that the better." She turned away, her eyes now fixed on the door. "Besides Richard, if you really loved me, you would understand why I have to do this, and you'd support me in it."

"That's -" Richard stepped back, his world reeling. "Kahlan, that's not fair. You know I will support you in doing whatever you need."

Kahlan walked slowly to the door, refusing to turn and look at him. "Anything Richard?"

"Anything."

She opened the door and glanced back at him. There were tears in her eyes.

"Then let me go."

The door closed behind her and she was gone.

***

Anclara fumbled with the lock to her office. Her head pounded from too much wine and too little sleep. Zedd had returned to her office after seeing the Seeker, and they had celebrated Kahlan's success with the Gauntlet a little too boisterously. Now she was dreading what lay on the other side of this door. An office in need of cleaning.

"Anclara?"

Startled, Anclara dropped her key and spun about. She'd thought she was alone in the hall, but Kahlan stepped out from a shadowed arch. Anclara breathed a quick sigh of relief.

"Kahlan, how are you? Is Richard well?" Anclara retrieved the key from the floor and undid the lock. "Would you like to come in?"

"Richard is fine," Kahlan explained as she followed Anclara into her office. "I came to talk to you about the Gauntlet."

"Oh? Zedd told me it worked perfectly."

Anclara surveyed her office. The damage was less severe than she'd imagined, and she began to tidy up.

"It did. I actually wanted to ask you about where it came from, where you found it."

Anclara stooped to retrieve a pillow and then slowly rose and considered Kahlan. The young confessor seemed tense and agitated, her fingers nervously toying with the hems of her sleeves. Anclara noted she still wore the Gauntlet.

"Why?"

"I was just hoping you found the rest of the regalia with the gauntlet."

"The rest of the regalia?"

"Yes, my torque and crown." Anclara's eyebrow went up, and Kahlan quickly corrected herself: "I mean Adrionne's torque and crown, of course."

"Are you feeling alright Kahlan?"

"Of course, I'm fine." Kahlan smiled but it failed to convince Anclara.

"It's only that yesterday you barely knew who Adrionne was, and now you're asking about the _regalia_? I've been studying the ancient ages my whole life Kahlan, and I only know of the regalia from rumors. How did you come to hear of them?"

Kahlan's eyes narrowed. "I must have heard about them when I was training to become a Confessor."

"Perhaps." Anclara picked up a book off the table and walked around Kahlan, slipping it onto the shelf out of order. Now she was between the door and Kahlan, and more importantly Kahlan was not between her and the door. "It's only that... Sometimes an object of great power is wielded by a person of great will, and with time that person's will can color an object. Leave an imprint, an imprint which can have an influence on people who pick it up."

As she spoke, she slowly moved towards the door. Kahlan's face was an icy mask, her eyes followed Anclara's every move. "Sometimes it's a positive thing. Like Richard's sword, which carries the fighting prowess of all the Seekers before him who carried it. Othertimes it's --"

"That's far enough."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how you figured it out so quickly. You're clearly a very intelligent woman Anclara. Thus we can presume that you know what I can do to you. The torque and the crown. Where are they?"

"Adrionne?"

"Not entirely. I speak through this Confessor. Play her like a marionette on my strings."

"But you're dead."

Kahlan snorted. "My power extends from the realm of shadows and through land of dreams into this world. Pray you do not discover how much power I can bring to bear through this girl."

"But why? Why are you here? Your time in this world is over, why don't you let the girl go, just move on?"

"Everything I gave my life for has been destroyed! All of my work, all of my great achievements lie crumbling in the dust! And you want me to move on? Never! I will rebuild it all. I will be Queen of these lands once more, and this time I will build a kingdom – no, an _empire_ – that will last ten thousand years!"

Anclara fell back against the wall, her hand slipping behind her to find the door's latch.

"They'll stop you. Richard and Zedd. They'll see through you, and they'll stop you."

"The fool boy and the blundering wizard? Stop me?" Kahlan sneered, and then Anclara knew without a doubt that it was not Kahlan at all, but entirely Adrionne she dealt with. Kahlan could never muster such contempt for anyone, not even the D'harans she hated. "They'll stop Darken Rahl for me, and then when they no longer serve my purposes, I will make them my slaves. They'll spend the rest of their miserable existences slopping my stables."

Anclara pushed down on the latch and stepped back, throwing the door open wide as she turned to run. She screamed for the guards, but Kahlan was so much faster than her. The confessor launched herself across the room, slamming into Anclara's back and bowling her to the floor. Anclara rolled on to her back, struggling to right herself, when Kahlan landed on her heavily.

Anclara threw up her arms to defend herself but Kahlan had reach and power behind her fists, and clouted her upside the head. The world flickered with darkness as Kahlan's long, thin fingers wrapped around her neck. For a brief instant Anclara thought that Kahlan meant to strangle her, and her eyes went wide with fear as she clawed and scratched at the young confessor.

Suddenly Kahlan's eyes flashed white and Anclara felt her power flowing into her, filling her soul. Her own eyes filled with white light, and it was over.

"Command me, my queen."

Anclara's struggles ceased and Kahlan released her grip. The two women struggled to their feet just as a pair of the blue and gold garbed Gyrfalcon Guard came rushing around a turn in the hall.

"Mistress Anclara? We heard screams!"

Kahlan brushed dust from Anclara's sleeve. "Mistress Anclara slipped and fell, that's what you heard. Isn't that right Anclara."

Kahlan and the guards both looked to Anclara, who stared blankly at Kahlan and nodded. "Yes, that's what happened."

"You're alright then?" Anclara nodded, hr gaze fixed on Kahlan. The guards looked at each other suspiciously then shrugged. "We'll just return to our posts then?"

"Yes, thank you."

As the guards walked away, Kahlan grabbed Anclara's arm and dragged her back into the office, slamming the door shut behind them. The antiquarian looked up at her with the blank adoring stare of the confessed. "My queen?"

"My torque and crown, where are they?"

"I do not know my queen. They are lost to the ages. The discovery of the gauntlet was a fluke, I have no idea where the rest of the regalia is."

"No! But I need them. My power is incomplete in this world without them. You must know of a way to find them. Think damn you, think!"

Anclara stared at her, puzzled. Suddenly her eyes grew wide as she realized she did know how to find her queen's regalia.

"Sinthra's astrolabe. It can find anything, even the regalia."

"Excellent! And the astrolabe? Where is it?"

"I don't know."

Kahlan ground her teeth as her nostril's flared. "This is not amusing me."

"I know who does know though."

"Who? Dammit, who?"

"Richard Cypher, the Seeker. He had a map to Sinthra's tower."

Kahlan flushed red as her lip twisted into a snarl. As soon as the anger flashed it was gone, replaced by a high lilting laugh.

"Of course. It only figures, doesn't it." Anclara smiled blankly, not understanding but happy her queen was laughing. Still chuckling, Kahlan explained: "It's all right, I only just broke his heart to be rid of him. Such is life."

Still laughing queitly to herself, Kahlan took her leave. Anclara was sad to watch her go.


	4. Chapter Three

**CHAPTER THREE**

Richard paced back and forth across the inn's common room, muttering to himself. Zedd sat by the edge of the fire pit, watching him intently. It pained the old man to see his grandson in such anguish.

"It just doesn't make any sense," Richard moaned. "Why would she leave?"

Shrugging as he had the last dozen times Richard had begged an answer from him, Zedd had no response. He was as confused as Richard, though not nearly as distressed and wondered if Kahlan's sudden decision to leave was related to whatever she had discussed with the Shota. Kahlan had left before, when she believed she could no longer serve as Richard's confessor, but she had made certain that a new confessor was ready to replace her. He couldn't imagine that she would simply abandon her duty.

"She left before," he offered hesitantly. "You know she takes her duties as a Confessor very seriously..." His voice trailed off as Richard stared at him in disbelief.

"What about her duty to me? To my quest? To the prophecy?"

"You're right Richard, I can't ignore that duty." Richard spun around and immediately tensed; Kahlan stood framed in the doorway. She held her hands clasped at her waist, nervously wringing them as she bit at her lip. Her eyes were full of tears; the very image of contrition. "I'm so sorry Richard."

Richard stared at her dumbfounded. He tried to speak but nothing intelligible could escape his lips.

"I've been horrible," she cried as she stepped forward. Her hands danced across Richard's vest and touched lightly on his chest. "I was so scared after seeing the Shota, seeing the things she showed me. I – I had a vision of you confessed by my hand, and I was so terrified. I was just trying to protect you, and I only ended up hurting you. Can you forgive me Richard?"

Richard melted, sweeping her up in his arms and kissing her passionately. Momentarily startled, Zedd quickly gathered his wits and coughed loudly. Richard remembered himself and let go of Kahlan, taking a guilty step back from the shocked girl.

"Of course I forgive you Kahlan! I'll always forgive you, you know that. But you have to trust me, you have to tell me when you're scared. You can't – can't play these games."

"I know, I know you're right Richard." She turned away from him, dabbing her eyes. "I can't help it. My life as a confessor...So many people lie to me, try to use me to their own ends, I can't help myself, I just manipulate people to protect myself and -"

Richard wrapped his arms around her as she collapsed into sobs. He cooed quiet words into her ear while Zedd watched them skeptically. Feeling the hateful cynic for entertaining the thought, he noted that for a woman apologizing for being manipulative, she was doing a fine job of twisting Richard about. It was all the stranger for being so out of character for the sometimes painfully forthright and earnest young confessor.

Richard stepped back and gripped Kahlan, an expectant look on his face. "You're coming with us then? To the tower?"

"Of course Richard. It's imperative that we find Sinthra's Astrolabe. We should leave immediately."

Richard looked to Zedd expectantly. "Are we prepared? Can we leave now?"

"I intended to leave tomorrow in the morning, but I see no reason why we can't set out now. Assuming Kahlan is prepared?"

She nodded. "My horse is just outside and my provisions packed. Shall we go?"

Richard bounced excitedly and rushed to the door leading to the stables. "I'll fetch the horses and meet you outside!"

Zedd rose and followed Kahlan out to the street. As they walked he felt a strange sensation, neither a premonition or vision, but the powerful sense that something was deeply wrong. Richard came from the stables leading their horses, and Zedd dismissed the feeling as he climbed into the saddle.

They rode late into the night, traveling many leagues before stopping to camp.

***

The next morning they broke camp in relative silence and made out for Sinthra's Tower. It lay only a few hours further and Zedd wondered how it had remained undiscovered in such a well-traveled area. The lands around Gyrfalcon were dotted with small hamlets and villages, the vast network of farming villages that delivered food to sustain the great city. It would be several more leagues before they reached the end of what was considered civilized land.

As they came over a low pass between two small mountains, or large hills perhaps, a small valley opened up ahead of them. The valley was an intricate patchwork of small farms. A small cluster of cottages near the center of the valley passed for a village. There was little forest, mostly a thin line between farms and the rough rocky slopes of the surrounding mountains that grew widest at the northern end of the valley.

"This can't possibly be right," Zedd grumbled. "Are you sure you read the map correctly?"

Richard pulled the map from his bag and considered it. "This is the place. Should be right up there at the north end of the valley."

"There's nothing there," Kahlan noted tersely. "If there was a tower, we should be able to see it."

"I'm telling you, the map says it's there. We should ride into town, talk to the locals. Perhaps they know about the tower."

"Anclara spent the better part of her life searching for this tower. I find it hard to believe she could have missed it here, in the middle of farm lands. Especially not if it were a subject of folklore." Zedd spurred his horse forward, heading towards the town. "I suspect we have followed a dead end and that the map is simply wrong."

Spurring his horse forward, Richard stared glumly off into the distance where the tower should be. Kahlan followed along, trying vainly to conceal her annoyance.

The town was mostly empty, not surprising given that it was midday during harvest season. The residents of the valley would be hard at work now, but Zedd was confident there would be at least one or two folks in the town's tavern. He was also confident that the town would have a tavern. He yet to meet the midlander who did not love his beer.

Sure enough at the center of town was a long, low ceilinged beer hall. It was empty except for two men, one clearly the proprietor and the other likely to be his best customer. Or most frequent at least. The barkeep, a dark skinned man built like the beer kegs he sold, looked up as they entered and quickly sized them up. His patron, a feeble old man in suit more patch than original cloth, didn't even raise his head. As Kahlan entered, her distinctive white gown flowing around her, the barkeep relaxed.

"Confessor," he cried cheerily. "We have not seen one of your order in Ten Pines in several years."

"It saddens me to hear that, and it is my hope that it will soon be remedied." Kahlan pushed past Zedd and Richard to approach the bar. "I'm afraid I have not come to serve as a confessor, but in search of information."

"All that I know is yours Confessor. What do you seek?"

"We search for a tower, the tower of Sinthra. Have you heard of it?"

"Not by that name, no. But I have heard of a tower. Everyone in Ten Pines knows of the ghost tower."

Kahlan looked excitedly at Richard and Zedd. "The what tower?"

"The ghost tower," croaked the old man slumped over the bar. He lifted his head and brushed wisp of thinning hair from his eyes. His face was heavily lined, with a cherry red nose and pink cheeks. His eyes were rheumy and jaundiced. Zedd suspected the man did not have much time left in this world. "It's at the far end of the valley, on the northernmost slope. Great spindly thing with a peaked roof. They say it once belong to a powerful wizard who lived here in a distant age, that he was cursed when he tried to use his spells to make a woman love him. Damned to an eternity as a shadow. They say he haunts the tower still, that it exists in this world and the next, which is why it only appears at night, and only when the moon is heavy in the sky.

"Of course, it's not true," laughed the barkeep. "That's just legends folks made up when they settled this valley. There's no tower."

Dravel glared at him, but nodded. "Boy is half right at least. It's no ghost, just an illusion. A trick of light and shadows. But it does exist. You can go up there and see it yourself."

Zedd leaned up against the counter and the old man turned to face him. "An illusion? You sound as if you know quite a bit about this tower. How do you come by your information?"

"A wizard told me."

The barkeep scoffed. "Don't wind these people up with tall tales Dravel, there's never been a wizard in Ten Pines." Zedd smirked at the comment, but Dravel seemed mortally offended. Rearing up on his stool he pointed an angry finger at the barkeep.

"I remember when this was your grandfather's hall boy, and my memory made be addled by too much drink, but there were many years before you were born, and I remember them. Most of them. Some of them at least." Dravel's shoulders slumped and he grabbed his mug, draining the last of his beer. "What I mean is that it was before your time, when I was still a young man. Or at least not yet an old man.

"The wizard came through about twenty years ago, with a young woman. Never did get their names, not that I remember, but they'd come looking for the tower. Paid me handsomely to lead them to the place where it sometimes stands. After I showed it to them, the wizard huffed and puffed and said it wasn't nothing but an illusion. Got real angry and left, never did come back."

"Describe them for me?"

"The wizard, he was a young man. Dark hair and skinny, with long white robes. Seemed a bit, oh how do you say it. A bit fancy, if you know what I mean. Certainly didn't pay any attention to the girl he was with, and she was a beauty. Very sophisticated like, with all them manners and gestures of a lady of the city. Had hair like gold."

"Giller and Anclara."

"Aye!" Dravel's eyes brightened. "That was their names!"

Richard looked at Zedd quizzically. "I thought Giller was loyal to Rahl? Why would Anclara work with him?"

"Not originally. Once Giller was a powerful ally of the forces of law and order in the Midlands. After I disappeared with you to the West, she must have turned to him for help in her search." Zedd turned back to consider Dravel. "Did Giller explain what he meant? It's important Dravel, you have to remember."

Dravel frowned and shook his head. "Sorry friend, my memory isn't up to what you ask."

Kahlan seized Dravel's arm, a snarl forming on her lips. "You have to remember dammit, you have no idea how much is at stake."

Richard placed a hand on Kahlan's shoulder. "Kahlan, relax. He's an old man."

"I can make him remember. It would be easy." She reached out and stroked Dravel's cheek; he blanched and tried to pull back.

Zedd shouted as Dravel jerked and Kahlan's eyes turned white. Richard and Zedd both sprung forward, the old wizard grabbing the old drunk, and the young hero pulling away his confessor. It was too late, the damage was done. As Richard and Zedd futilely and loudly protested what she'd done, neither heard Dravel quietly say: "Command me, my queen."

Kahlan jerked her arm away from Richard and angrily snapped: "What do you think you're doing? We don't have time to waste on a drunkard's wandering memory. We need to know what he knows, and we need to know it now. Confessing him gives him the focus he needs to answer our questions."

Richard glanced at Zedd, who was still in a state of shock. The barkeep had backed off and cowered at the far end of the bar, casting nervous glances towards them. Horrified and bewildered, Richard backed slowly away from Kahlan, shaking his head. "This is wrong. What's wrong with you?"

Kahlan only sneered at him in response. Richard turned and walked to the door. As he left the beer hall he shot an angry glance at Kahlan. "This is madness and I won't be part of it."

Kahlan snorted haughtily, unimpressed by Richard's stand. Zedd sat back on his stool, watching her in mute disbelief. Turning back to Dravel, she commanded him to remember what the wizard Giller had said.

Dravel nodded slowly. His voice became a dull monotone as he repeated Giller word for word: "This is a waste of time! There's nothing there at all, only an illusion of a tower; a spell bound to this place, activated by the moonlight. We cannot enter because it's not real in any sense." He paused, staring blankly at the Confessor for a long moment, then suddenly continued: "That's all well and fine Anclara, but it doesn't change the simple facts. That is an illusion, and nothing more. If there was something more to it then I would sense it. If your intent is to question my conclusions at every turn, then perhaps we should dissolve this partnership at once!"

"That's all?" Kahlan screeched at the old drunk, grabbing him by his shirt and angrily shaking him. "That's nothing! What a useless man you are!"

"My apologies my qu--"

"Kahlan! That's quite enough!" Zedd shouted, drowning out Dravel. "Have you completely lost your mind? In the name of the stars and all that is sacred, what makes you think you had the right to do that? And then to abuse him further?"

"Don't you question me wizard," she hissed. "You've no standing to question how I pursue our quest, not with the things you yourself have done." She inhaled sharply and let her breath out slowly, lowering her hands as if to calm herself. "Dravel will be better for the experience. The man was clearly a useless drunk, but now he will spend his days doing all that he can to be a benefit to the people of Ten Pines, and shall never again touch the spirits. Isn't that true Dravel?"

Dravel nodded. "Yes my --"

"You know that's not the point! A confessor is to use her power to seek justice, not to impose whatever choices she thinks are best on those who do only themselves harm. The world is full of people who make bad choices, will you strip them all of their free will in some misguided effort to make the world better? Isn't that exactly what Rahl wants to do?" Zedd paused, his nostrils flaring as he stared down at Kahlan. "I don't know what the Shota said to you, but you've lost your path entirely. Whatever tales she spun they've clearly corrupted --"

Dravel did his best to leap to his feet, and though he stood shakily he also stood definitely; grabbing Zedd's jacket and pulling weakly. "My queen, should I show this ass the door?"

Zedd stopped and stared at Dravel, then waved his hand absently. The old man collapsed in a heap, snoring away.

"My queen?" Zedd looked at Kahlan. Really looked at her. She was trying to hide her smile, her eyes full of glee. And guilt. As if she delighted in getting away with something but knew she was soon caught. "No confessor has held that title in a thousand years. Not since Queen --" He glanced at the fine silver gauntlet on her hand, not wanting to accept what he knew to be true.

"Clever Zedd," she sneered. "Finally figured it out."

"How is it even possible?" He was horrified and quickly stepped away from her, realizing the danger he was in. He raised his hand. "I'll blast you. Don't think I won't."

"Oh really? And what will you tell Richard?" She mimicked Zedd's deep baritone: " 'I'm sorry Richard, she was being controlled by an sorceress who died a thousand years ago. Had to blow her up. These things happen.'" She raised a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh, her smile became a sneer as she took her hand away. "Really Zedd, let's call Richard in here. Let's see who he chooses to believe. The wizard who lied to him and manipulated him his whole life, or the woman he loves?"

Kahlan stepped forward, reaching out for him. Zedd knew that Adrione was controlling her, something far beyond confession. This was _possession_, one of the darkest arts that those who existed beyond the veil of death could master. There was no way to strike at the puppetmaster; Richard would never forgive him if he brought harm to the puppet. Still, he would not let her confess him.

With a flick of his wrist he send a wave of force crashing into Kahlan, hurling her across the room. She landed hard on a table, shattering it. Immediately leaping to her feet, she tossed her head to flip her hair from her face. She was still sneering.

"You think possession is the only magic I know?"

Her hand rose, clutching at the air. As it came up her gauntlet glowed red and Zedd was lifted from the ground by an invisible force. She pulled her arm towards her chest and he flew across the room. He came to a violent stop, as if he had crashed into an invisible barrier. He gestured weakly towards her and tried to speak, too dazed to work his spell. She reached out and took hold of his chin, her eyes turning into stormy white pools. He started to scream, praying he could warn Richard, but it was already too late. Zedd was hers.

"Command me, my Queen."

Kahlan smiled wickedly and turned her gaze to the door. "You're very clever Zedd. Go explain to the boy why he should do everything I say. Tell him how you've seen the error of your ways."

Zedd nodded and walked to the door of the tavern, poking his head out into the street. He turned back to look at her and shrugged.

"Richard's gone."


	5. Chapter Four

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Richard stormed out of the beer hall, his emotions swirling inside him like a tempest ready to erupt. Kahlan had gone mad, abusing her power in ways that...Richard's heart sank as he remembered the other Confessors he had met. Would Lara, who subjugated an entire town to her will just to protect her own life, really frown on what Kahlan had done? What about the former Mother Confessor Serena, all too willing to murder an innocent child in blind faith to her order's traditions? Would she object strongly to what Kahlan did, or not at all? Mounting his horse, Richard pondered these thoughts as he rode for the edge of town. He feared he knew the answer to these questions, and he did not like the conclusions he came too.

He had simply accepted that the Confessor's were good. Now he found himself wondering if that was true or only a pleasant lie he told himself. He recalled Zedd's first rule, how easy it is to believe a lie that is pleasing over a disquiet truth. Could it be that things were not so black and white as he suspected? Could the Confessors be as dangerous to all that he held dear -- life and the freedom that came with it -- as Darken Rahl and his mad desire for harmony at the cost of everyone's free will? He had been so taken with Kahlan, so enamored of her that he had wanted to believe that everything she invested her faith in was true, but the more he thought of it the more he realized how often her faith had shown itself false.

As he rode he thought of Kahlan. He had only known her a few months now, and wondered how well he really knew her. When they first met he had been so taken in by her beauty, her grace and the fiery intellect that burned behind her eyes. Over time he thought that first blush of infatuation had matured into something like true love, but now he wondered. Their travels had carried them through great danger and he needed to trust her, so he had. Were his feelings for her real, or a consequence of his need to trust her?

The thought that his love for her might have been only a self-deception to blind him to her faults – faults that were now becoming all too apparent – sickened him to his core. His stomach tightened into a knot as he rode out of town and made his way to the north end of the valley. He drove the thoughts from his mind, knowing they could do him no good. He only needed space and time away from her to clear his head, and he was sure he could find it within himself to forgive her. He had too. In the meantime, he would finish this damn quest so they could be done with it and be that much closer to fulfilling the destiny that he felt, more and more, that he was a prisoner of.

The ground rose steadily and the trees began to thin, orchards of apples and other fruit giving way to wild junipers and pines as he climbed the slope of the small mountains that formed the northern pass of the valley. He did not need the map, it was as if the tower called to him.

Soon he came to a cliff and he knew his goal lay beyond it. He abandoned his horse and began to climb, going slowly but steadily. Above the cliff was a wide and flat rocky outcrop, the perfect spot on which to build a tower. There was no tower here though, not even the crumbled remains of one. No amount of time could erase a structure so thoroughly; his heart sank as he feared that he had been mislead. At the same time, the sense that he was in the right place was more powerful than ever.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind. As he opened them again he also opened his heart and mind, drawing on his power as the Seeker to see the truth. The gray stone tower stood before him, shimmering and transparent like a mirage. It was tall, almost impossibly so given how narrow it was, and twisted around like a branch as if it had grown from the stone, rather than having been built by any craftsman's hands.

Richard walked around the tower's base, noting that it had no windows and a single pair of large stone doors. The doors had no features other than a slight depression where the two slabs met. Richard reached out to trace the design but his fingers passed through the stone as if it were not there. Stepping forward, Richard found the door offered no resistance. Now he stood inside the tower, but the whole thing seemed hollow. From inside the tower he was treated to the bizarre spectacle of the exterior of the tower surrounding him. It was postively unsettling.

Crossing the base of the tower, Richard exited by the far wall and frowned. How could he enter a tower than was only a paper thin illusion?

He walked around the tower again, returning to the door. He examined the depression more carefully. Sunlight seemed to stream right through the door and it was hard to make out much more than a vague general shape. The depression was long and narrow, with second, smaller depression crossing perpendicular to the larger one. Richard stared at, puzzled, for a long moment until he realized with some embarrassment that the depression was the same dimensions as a sword.

Snorting at his own foolishness, he drew the Sword of Truth. By holding it forward at arm's length, with the point skyward, he was able to align it perfectly with the depression. Almost immediately the sky became darker and Richard leapt back startled. He quickly realized that the sky had not grown darker at all, but rather the tower was becoming more and more opaque, so that now he stood in its shadow. In the measure of a dozen heartbeats the tower stood before him as solid as the rock from which it was hewn.

With a low rumbling groan the two great stone doors parted, revealing a dark chamber beyond.

***

"What do you mean Richard is gone?" Kahlan fumed as she joined Zedd out on the street. "Where could he be?"

Zedd stared off in the distance and Kahlan followed his gaze. At the northern end of the valley, high above the trees, sat an impossibly tall tower. A tower that had not been there an hour before.

"The tower! He's done it! Come Zedd, we have an Astrolabe to collect."

Mounting their horses, Zedd and Kahlan rode after Richard.

***

Richard entered the dark chamber hesitantly. As soon as he crossed the threshold a pair of large stone braziers sparked to life, bathing the bare stone walls in a dim red light. A black marble staircase rose from the center of the room and disappeared through a hole in the ceiling above.

"Welcome Seeker." The voice boomed from everywhere and nowhere. It was a woman's voice, but utterly lacking in any feminine charm, speaking in a flat and dull monotone. "I am the sorceress Sinthra. Ages ago I was an ally of the Seeker of my day, and I have left this tower for the Seekers that are --"

"Hello?" Richard called, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

"-- to come," the voice continued. "But beware if you be a false Seeker or knave who has stolen the Sword of Truth in hopes of plundering my treasure. Three tests --"

"Tests?" Richard asked nervously. "What kind of tests?"

"-- a seeker true or false."

"Wait, what?" Richard realized he'd spoken right over the voice. "Can you repeat that?"

The tower was silent.

Richard took another step forward, then another until he reached the stair. As he put his foot on it the doors behind him began to rumble again. He rushed them but was too late. They had closed, sealing him inside. He pounded on them futilely but already knew that his only way out was up. Returning to the stair, Richard began to climb.

The stair lead him to the center of the circular chamber above. Braziers hung from the walls bathed the room in red light. The ceiling was some forty feet above him; a spiral staircase worked its way up the wall and through an opening to the floor above. The stair was screened by an iron grill; the only way to access it a large door of iron bars on the far side of the room. With the exception of a small circle of bare stone in the center of the room the floor was covered entirely in heavy green and black ceramic tiles.

"The Seeker wields his blade not to attack," boomed the ancient Sorceress' voice, "but to defend."

Richard's brow furrowed as he wondered what that meant. A quiet rustling sound preceded an explosion of pain in Richard's back. He fell to the ground and groaned, clutching at his side. He looked around for his attacker but saw only shards of broken tile. Confused, he pulled himself up to his feet and cast a glance around the room. There was nothing.

The quiet rustle, almost a whistle, repeated itself and Richard spun around just in time to see one of the large green and black tiles sailing across the room at him. The tiles were massive, almost twenty pounds each, and as hard as their ceramic nature would imply. It shattered against his thigh, leaving his leg numb and throbbing with pain.

The rustling sound grew louder and he realized it was wind playing along the edges of more spinning tiles. Now two were rising from the ground and hurtling towards him. He jumped up to dodge one but the second caught his ankle as he descended, nearly breaking it. He landed hard on the ground and cursed.

More tiles rose from the ground, this time three rising at once. Richard scanned the room and made a quick estimate. There were at least a hundred tiles, possibly more. If they kept coming at him in greater numbers, no amount of dodging would save him. He would be pulverized.

The words of the sorceress ran through his head and he realized what he must do. Drawing the Sword of Truth as he leapt to his feet, he brought the blade up as the first of the tiles reached him. It shattered against the blade, the impact barely perceptible. He spun the blade about and stopped the second tile but the third came to fast and caught him in the small of his back, sending him stumbling forward with a cry of pain.

Now four tiles rose and began to spin.

Richard dropped into a defensive stance and cleared his mind. He opened his senses entirely, allowing himself to become one with the blade in his hand, one with the floor beneath him, one with the entire chamber. The tiles came at him and his blade flashed. One, two, three and four tiles deflected harmlessly off his blade.

The tiles came faster and in ever greater numbers. Five, six, eight, ten at a time they came, until Richard's blade was little more than a blur, spinning around him as he deftly parried every flying stone. Time became a meaningless abstraction as Richard truly merged with the magic sword in his hand, his entire world an explosion of ceramic and swirling dust.

Then it was over. The entire floor of the chamber was bare, with only a ring of shattered debris around Richard's feet giving any evidence of the intricate tile work that had once adorned the room. Across from him the iron gate barring the way forward now hung open. Richard knew he had passed the first test.

As he passed through the portal there was a loud rumble. He glanced back and saw that the tile floor had miraculously reassembled itself, as if the last few minutes had never occurred. With a growing sense of dread Richard continued up the stair.

***

Zedd grunted and groaned as he climbed the short cliff beneath the tower. His old bones had trouble enough carrying him up the side but his progress was made twice as difficult by Kahlan, who insisted on clinging to his back. Not that he minded, anything for his queen.

Once they reached the outcrop, Kahlan dropped from his back and frowned. The doors were sealed shut.

She waved her hand and her gauntlet glowed with hellish red light. The doors rumbled and groaned but would not budge. She tried again and nothing happened.

"Zedd, assist me."

The wizard and sorceress combined their power and forced their wills on the door. It rumbled and shook, refusing to move. Again they pushed against it, and while the stone would not move it did begin to crack. Small fracture lines spread out across the surface of the twin slabs, growing wider and deeper until finally the door exploded in a shower of stone fragments. Kahlan and Zedd yelped as they were pelted by fist sized rocks, but the way forward stood clear now.

They entered the tower but Richard was nowhere to be seen.

***

The next chamber was identical to the one below, except this time the stairwell left him on the far edge of the room. Across the chamber was another door and another caged staircase. Again the floor was covered in tiles; Richard's heart sunk. More tiles?

There was one other difference. In the center of the chamber was a bare spot, as in the room below, but in this one the spot was dominated by a tapered pillar topped with a great stone ball. Altogether it stood as high as Richard's shoulder. It reminded him of one of the chess pieces on his father's board, the one called the pawn.

"The Seeker sees what his enemies do not," intoned the voice. "This is his strength."

Richard looked carefully about the room, attempting to sense any hidden enemies but felt none. He generally hated puzzles and riddles, but this one seemed simple enough. Closing his eyes and clearing his mind, he allowed himself to see with the sight beyond sight. Opening his eyes he was startled to discovered that the bulbous orb atop the short pillar was in fact a giant eye, slowing turning about as it scanned the room. It did not seem to notice him standing in the shadow of the doorway. He feared nothing good could come from its attention.

Richard tensed, uncertain what he should do. Could the Sword of Truth destroy a stone pillar? Steeling himself, he prepared to find out. The eye turned away from him and he rushed forward, raising his blade high. The eye turned quickly and he had to leap to cover the remaining distance before its gaze fell on him. His sword flashed in a brilliant arc, clashing against the pillar with a shower of sparks and explosion of light. It remained unharmed and continued to turn.

Its gaze fell on Richard and a blast of eldritch green light spilled out from the center of the eye. The blast caught Richard in the chest and flung him against the far wall. Dazed and confused by the blow, he slumped against the wall and vainly tried to gather his wits.

The orb came round again and as its gaze found Richard it let loose with another hellish blast. Richard was ready this time – also further away! – and dived out its path. He rolled to his feet and ran without purpose, simply heading away from the eyes gaze.

The circular nature of the room left him with nowhere to run but right back into its path as it came around the opposite way. Cursing, Richard brought up the Sword of Truth, hoping to deflect the blast away. The sword absorbed little of the blow and Richard was again knocked off his feet and slammed into the wall. Much more of this and he would be finished.

Suddenly he realized there was more to the riddle than he first guessed. It had been easy enough to figure out that passing this test would require him to use his Seeker's sight, but there was a subtle second meaning to the clue. It was not enough that he see his enemies, he must also ensure that he himself was not seen. It seemed Sinthra was intent on teaching Richard a lesson. Her methods were such that he felt inspired to thank Zedd for his tedious lectures.

The orb was coming round again and Richard tensed, ready to pounce. As its gaze fell on him he sprung forward, dodging out of the beam's path. This time he rose and ran in the same direction that the eye rotated, following just behind its gaze. The gate was just ahead of him, still closed.

He skidded to a stop in front of the door. It simply sat there, mocking him with its refusal to open. Richard nervously glanced back at the orb; it was almost on him again. A grim sense of despair gnawed at his resolve as he readied himself to pounce. Just as the orb found him there was a rumble and creak of metal as the barred iron door swung open. Richard jumped back through the portal as the eye swept across him. It did not see him.

Richard sighed in relief and began up the stairs to the third test.

***

Kahlan and Zedd threw up their hands to create a wall of force as the tiles came at them. After a seeming eternity the assault ended and they broke the spell. Kahlan studied the pile of debris and wondered how Richard had survived the ordeal.

The far portal opened and she and Zedd continued up through the tower in their pursuit of Richard.

In the room above they found a simple pillar. They crossed the room slowly, casting about in search of danger or flying tiles, when the pillar suddenly flashed with green light and they were both blown off their feet. Kahlan's hand snapped out and a bolt of red lighting flashed across the room, striking the pillar and destroying it.

"I wish that Sinthra was still alive," she growled as she struggled to her feet.

"Why is that my queen?"

"So I could kill the bitch myself."

***

The final chamber was identical to the first two, though in this case the bare spot in the the center of the room held three statues crafted of shining blue steel and oil black iron. Each statue depicted a huge male human with the head, tail and hoofed feet of a horse. The statues were all garbed in the light armor of a pit fighter and each presented a deadly three pronged trident.

"The Seeker knows his true enemy's heart and does not waste his blows on deadly distractions."

Richard glared up at the ceiling. He had no idea what that meant. Still, it seemed obvious enough that his Seeker's sight would be essential to overcoming this test. He cleared his mind and looked about the room. Nothing. He turned his attention to the statues. Again, nothing.

He stepped into the room with some trepidation, readying the Sword of Truth.

The statues shifted and began to move, every motion accompanied by the loud squealing protest of metal grinding on metal. The sound echoed off the wall and Richard's hand went to cover his ears; he barely noticed the sound of the Sword of Truth clattering on the hard tile floor.

Rather then lurch towards him as he expected, the statues instead began to _hop_. One after the other they sprung into the air and crashed into the ground with a thundering clang that staggered Richard and sent him reeling. One of the statues hurtled towards him and it was only luck that allowed Richard to dive out of the way of its trident. The statues did not wield their weapons, only holding them out before them so they might happen to stab something in their path.

Richard also quickly realized the statues were not hunting after him. They bounced about at random, sometimes colliding with each other with a thunderous clap. Richard's head pounded and his ears ached at the cacophony produced by the hopping horsemen. He realized he no longer held the sword and for a moment began to panic. He spotted it across the room in the center of the circle of leaping statues.

Ducking and diving he scrambled across the room after the sword, narrowly snatching it up before one of the horsemen could land on it. A fine end to his quest that would be. But now Richard found himself in the middle of their mad dance, his very bones shaking from the clamor they made as they moved about.

His heart pounded in his chest as he ducked and weaved to avoid their flashing tridents, desperately seeking escape. That was the clue, the pounding of his heart. He had used his Seeker's sight and seen nothing, but what had he heard?

He dashed forward and dived, tucking into a roll and freeing himself from the titan horseman's jig of destruction. As he found his feet under him, he focused his mind and listened. It was impossible at first, the statues tumult was deafening. He forced himself to ignore the thunder and crash of their movements, tuning himself into the slightest sound.

Deep inside the first statue he heard the wet slosh of liquids tossed back and forth in a jug. The same sound emanated from the second statue. But the third statue instead beat like a drum. Budum. Budum. Budum.

Richard moved closer to the statues, nimbly dancing out of the reach of the wicked points of their forks. At the center of each of their chests, where their armor formed an X around a ring, there was was a narrow slot.

"Richard! We've found you!"

Richard spun about in surprise, shocked to see Zedd and Kahlan enter the chamber. One of the steel horsemen leapt and spun about, the blunt tine of its trident catching Richard in the shoulder and bowling him over.

"Richard!" screamed Zedd as he threw up his hand and released a blast of arcane force. Richard screamed in protest but it was already too late. The wave of energy passed through the statues and tore them to pieces. As the third statue exploded the far door opened, but as the first two were ripped apart the jars stored in their heart were shattered, spilling their contents into the room.

A fiery orange liquid splattered across the floor and almost instantly dissolved into a thick cloud of brilliant yellow gas. Richard choked and gagged as the noxious cloud surrounded him and filled his eyes with burning tears; every breath felt like fire in his throat. He collapsed on the ground and convulsed – even the fire of the Rourazar had not burned like this.

The gas parted and a strange woman in the white robes of a confessor was standing over him. She had the predatory gaze of a hawk and the haughty air of royalty. She glared down at him like he was some weakness of hers that she despised and in that moment reminded him of Denna when she pressed her agiel into him.

The woman reached down and touched his chest and the world dissolved in a brilliant flash of white light. The pain was gone instantly, not only the burning of the gas but the bruises and contusions he had suffered from the other trials. As his vision returned he was surprised to find Kahlan leaning over him. She help him to his feet while he tried to clear his head.

"That other woman? Where did she go?"

"What other woman?"

"The other Confessor. You must have seen her."

"There's no one here but us Richard. Isn't that right Zedd?"

Zedd nodded in agreement. Richard began to protest but Kahlan cut him off with a whisper. She pointed to the far door.

"We should hurry, before it closes and those statues reassemble themselves."

Richard nodded weakly and followed after her. Together the trio passed through the portal and continued up the stair to the what each prayed would be the final chamber of the tower.


	6. Chapter Five

**CHAPTER FIVE**

The stairwell lead to a massive chamber, far larger than the tower would suggest, and with no sign of the peaked cap visible from outside. Instead the ceiling simply opened up under the starry night sky.

Every wall was lined with cases, soaring thirty feet up, full of books and strange objects. Richard was reminded of Anclara's office on a far grander scale, but nothing in Gyrfalcon Hall compared to the massive device that dominated the center of the room.

It was as large as several carriages lined end to end. Giant spheres of silver, copper and brass were suspended between iron rings, which in turn were affixed to long iron rods. He noted that only one of the iron rings did not hold an orb. At the center of it all was a ball of geared wheels. Richard walked slowly towards the silent device, his jaw hanging slack.

"What is it?"

Zedd was as awestruck as Richard, spending a long moment taking in the grandeur of the device before he finally spoke.

"This is Sinthra's Astrolabe. I had no idea it would be so large."

"It's gigantic! How will we take it with us?"

"We can't, it's built into the floor. We'll have to use it here, now."

"What?" Richard pried his gaze away from the device and shot Zedd an incredulous look. "What do you mean use it now? That won't work."

Zedd looked at Richard, puzzled. "What makes you think that?"

"You said it will tell us where exactly anything in the world is, right?"

"Yes, including Darken Rahl."

"And that would be great if Darken Rahl was a place, but he's a person. He'll move. What good does it do us to know where he is, if he moves by the time we get there?"

"Richard, you should pay more attention," Zedd snorted as he walked around the machine. "It not only tells us where Rahl will be, but when he'll be there. We can find out exactly where he'll be in three days, for example."

"And if we can't reach where he'll be in three days?"

"Ah hah!" Zedd was peering curiously at pedestal near the device. "I believe I've figured out how this works. Yes, definitely."

"Zedd?"

"We don't have to use it just once. We can determine Rahl's location tomorrow, and for the next seven days. Or more! We'll know exactly where he'll be for weeks to come. We can be leisurely and pick the perfect place to confront him once and for all."

Kahlan made her way around the astrolabe, stopping by Zedd's side. She seem particularly unimpressed by the device.

"How does it work then?"

"It's quite simple," Zedd explained. "You press down on this crystal here and say the name of the person or place you seek and when you seek them, then..." Zedd scratched his head and considered the device. "Well, I really don't know what happens then."

Kahlan reached out and pressed the crystal. It glowed faintly blue.

"The crown of Adrione, at this moment."

Immediately the device began to shudder and shake, the gears turning as the rods shifted and moved their spheres about.

Richard glanced at Kahlan, puzzled. "What's that?"

"Shh," she admonished him. "Nothing you need be concerned about."

The device came to a sudden stop and began to shimmer and glow. A ball of blue light appeared in the single empty ring. It flickered, wavering like a heat mirage. The ball wasn't entirely blue. There were swirls of white and large mass of greens and browns.

"Oh my," Zedd whispered reverently. "I'd never seen it from that perspective."

"What is it?"

"It's the world Richard. Our world. This is what it looks like from the stars. Each of these other spheres are the heavenly bodies, the moon and the sun and the great stars that shine in the night that the astronomers call planets. This device records their precise movements, and this --" He waved to the assembled spheres. "-- is their current alignment."

Richard turned back to the sphere and gasped as he realized he was looking at white clouds, green forest, yellow deserts and a vast blue ocean.

"I had no idea the seas were so great."

"They are quite vast, covering more of the world than not."

"But where is the crown?" Kahlan huffed.

"Wait, look there!" Richard pointed to a gleaming red point on the globe. "What's that?"

"I think I can --" Zedd twisted a dial on the pedestal's face. Instantly the globe expanded, most of it disappearing outside the ring, but inside the ring the red dot became much clearer, as if the perspective had shifted from the stars to a bird's view. Individual trees were visible, though still far to small to spot leaves. The red dot hovered over a small castle surrounded by a village.

"It must be the location of my crown! What place is that?"

Richard stared at Kahlan. "What crown? What are you talking about?"

Before she could answer the astrolabe shuddered and the globe disappeared, the glow fading from the device.

"Where did it go?" Kahlan shrieked at Zedd. "Bring it back! Bring it back!"

"I'm trying!" Zedd pounded the heel of his palm against the pedestal to no avail. Acrid smoke was pouring out of its long narrow stand. Zedd ducked down and found a concealed opening in the stand. "Hold on, I've found something."

"Kahlan?" Richard grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him. "Dammit, what is going on?"

"More important things that your pathetic little quest, Seeker," she snarled as she tore her arm away. "Once I have my crown and torque, this pathetic Rahl you worried about so will be of no consequence. Now get out of my way."

She shoved passed him and stalked towards Zedd. "What's that?"

"Stars!" Zedd was holding up a brass cannister that held a cracked glass tube. Inside a blackened chunk of crumbling rock floated in a dark green fluid. A thin cloud of smoke seeped through the cracks in the glass. "I haven't seen one of these in the longest time. It's octarinium, a magic crystal used to power large devices such as the Astrolabe. The secret of brewing the crystals is an old technology, long lost. I had thought it gone from the world before Sinthra's time."

Kahlan was glaring at the old wizard. "You had better not be telling me that it won't work."

"Hold on, hold on." Zedd rushed across the huge chamber, scanning the seemingly endless shelves. "There may be more crystals, perhaps another cannister. Richard! Help me look!"

Richard stumbled towards Zedd, still trying to make sense of Kahlan's confounding statement. He shot a worried glance her way, but she was simply scowling as she turned the spent cannister over in her hands.

"Here it is!" Zedd pulled a heavy glass jar down from a shelf. A handful of dimly glowing green crystals lined its bottom. "There aren't many in here."

He brought the jar to Kahlan and set it down on the pedestal before taking back the cannister. She regarded him suspiciously.

"How will you refill it?"

"I'm not without my own tricks." Zedd twisted and turned the glass, sliding it out from its brass holder. With a quick tap he shattered the already cracked end of the sealed tube and dumped it's contents on the ground.

Kahlan's eyes went wide. "Now you've broken it!"

"Calm yourself my Queen, all will be obvious soon." Zedd emptied the jar of crystals into the tube, barely filling a quarter of it. He waved his hand over the broken end and whispered magic words; the glass instantly healed itself. "See? As good as new."

Kahlan smiled appreciatively as Zedd carefully worked the glass back into the cannister and replaced it in the pedestal stand.

"Excellent. Now to find my crown again."

Kahlan pressed down on the crystal. "The crown of Adrione --"

"Alright, everyone just needs to stop for a minute." Richard threw down his hands to emphasize the statement as the device came to life, spinning around it lazy circles. Turning a hard eye towards Kahlan and Zedd, Richard's tone turned solemn and serious. "Something very off is going on here. Zedd, why did you call Kahlan your queen? Kahlan, what is all this talk about your crown? You don't have a crown! And why are we even talking about crowns when we need to use the astrolabe to find Darken Rahl? Wasn't that the whole point?"

Zedd seemed puzzled by his outburst, but Kahlan actually sneered at him.

"Are you really this stupid? You're like a dumbstruck cow! I'm finally starting to understand why Kahlan hasn't confessed you. What need is there to confess you when you're already so blinded by love for her that you can't even bring yourself to the obvious question."

"I don't understand --"

"Obviously! It's actually pathetic how little you understand." Kahlan stepped out from behind the pedestal and stalked towards him. "Allow me to explain, since you're clearly never going to understand. Your precious Kahlan is gone. I've taken possession of her body, and I have no intention of giving it back. And to the Keeper with your fool quest. I will find my regalia, regain my power, and rebuild my empire. And now that you've lead me to the astrolabe and have outlived your usefulness, you can just _die."_

She threw out her hand towards him and her gauntlet flashed red. Nothing happened. She looked at Richard, both of them perplexed for entirely different reasons.

"Oh damn," she muttered. "You have the sword."

"What?"

"The Sword of Truth. It's the only thing that can stop me. It was made to stop me, a blade for the first assassin to carry the title Seeker."

Richard drew the blade. As if a veil had been torn from his eyes, he could see that the woman before him was not Kahlan at all. Or it was Kahlan, her body, but not her soul. He could see her now, almost as if she was standing inside and within Kahlan, who was both translucent and not. He was seeing her with his mind's eye. Then it was gone.

"You're not Kahlan!"

"Catching up are you? The sword protects you from my sorcery. Its rather useless against wizardry of course. Zedd?" Smirking, she glanced at the old wizard. "Kill him."

"Yes my queen." Zedd stepped forward and threw his hand out, unleashing a gout of flame that charred and cracked the tile where Richard stood, or would have if he had not leapt and grabbed hold of the spinning astrolabe and rode it to safety.

"Zedd! What are you --"

Zedd waved his hand and invisible wall of force flew across the room and slammed into the astrolabe, sending Richard flying across the room. As he struggled to regain his feet, Zedd stalked across the room; raising his hand he unleashed a second blast of Wizard's Fire, reducing a wall of books to smoking ash as Richard dived out of the way.

"Dammit Zedd!"

Zedd raised his hand again but Richard was ready, grabbing a heavy tome off the shelf behind him and hurling it across the room. It smashed into Zedd's face, catching him on the bridge of his nose and sending him to the floor in a heap.

"Sorry about that Zedd!"

Richard charged across the room at Kahlan, raising the sword high. She looked at him curiously and held her ground, her eyes going wide as he leapt and tackled her, bowling her over. They both hit the ground and rolled, and when they stopped Richard was on top of her, pinning her to the ground. He held the sword to her throat.

"Let her go!"

Kahlan laughed, but it wasn't her laugh. It was the slightly manic tittering of Adrione.

"Let her go? Let her go! Or what?" She sneered at him, unconcerned by the position he had her in. "You'll kill me?"

"I'd rather Kahlan was dead than in your clutches!"

"A likely story," she laughed. "But I don't believe a word of it. You're bluffing Seeker. You won't kill me. Some part of you prays that your Confessor can be saved, and your hope is my ultimate defense. You'll never free her from my grip, but I can see it in your eyes, you don't have what it takes to make a sacrifice of her."

Richard's jaw tightened and he glared down at Adrione, but all he could see was Kahlan's face. He pressed the tip of his blade against her pale white throat and a single crimson drop appeared, rolling down the side of her neck and splattering on the floor below her. She still sneered at him, daring him to press further. His hand trembled and he knew she had won. There was only one chance left. He prayed his faith in Kahlan was not misplaced.

He relaxed the sword in his grip and let go of her arm, rolling off of her. She followed his roll and now pinned him gently to the ground, her hands pressed into his shoulders. Her sneer softened into a gentle smile as she looked down at him.

"It's alright Seeker, you'll find I'm not so cruel a mistress. Toss aside your sword and allow me to confess you. Then you can be with your Kahlan forever."

Richard's arm flopped to his side and the Sword of Truth clattered against the tile, the white glow fading as it fell from his grip.

"Make it quick."

Adrione smiled with Kahlan's face, reaching out to stroke his cheek as her eyes turned white. He could feel her fingers hovering over his face as she began to tremble. Her jaw tightened and the muscles in her neck drew taut. She tried to speak but only incomprehensible groans escaped her lips. Her white eyes turned bloodshot.

Kahlan shuddered and convulsed as her body floated into the air above him, throwing her arms and legs out, an impossible wind blowing through her hair and swirling her white gown around her. She fixed her gaze on him and he saw burning black pupils in the center of blood red eyes. She screamed and there was a thunderous crack as the tile under Richard shattered, a wave of force traveling through him and radiating out across the floor, sending shards of ceramic across the room.

"The con-dar," he whispered.

Kahlan suddenly went limp and fell from the air, landing on him with a heavy thump. The room was quiet except for the spinning of the astrolabe.

He lay there panting for a moment, then rolled Kahlan off of him, laying her out on the floor. He gently slapped her cheeks, trying to bring her around. After a second she gasped and jerked away from him, throwing her hands up.

"Kahlan?"

She looked up at him, confused and disoriented at first, then suddenly recognizing him. She threw her arms around his neck and drew him into a fierce hug.

"Oh Richard," she cried. "It was horrible! I could see every terrible thing she did. She confessed Zedd! And Anclara! She was going to confess you Richard! I couldn't stop her!"

"Shh," he whispered as he held her close. "You did stop her. I knew you would stop her. I knew you couldn't let her hurt me."

Trembling in his arms, Kahlan began to sob, begging him to forgive her. He simply rocked her back and forth, promising her that it would be alright.

As he looked over at Zedd's still form and the spinning astrolabe, he wondered if he believed it himself.


End file.
